WITH reference to your article 'Villages see red over village green,' I would like to ask the following:

If developers Tilerock were so concerned about the dangers of asbestos materials, why were the demolition workers not wearing protective clothing?

Why, despite several calls to the council, was the resulting rubble left unprotected on our village green for several days?

Why were the materials eventually transported out of our village not in protective bags, but loosely on an open-backed lorry?

If permission was not required to demolish the buildings, why did demolition work suddenly come to a halt about 10 days after commencement?

Why did the planning department issue a notice stating Tilerock's intention to complete demolition, approximately four weeks after demolition started? The fact that there has been a village green in Irwell Vale for many decades, despite Marie Flynn's protestations to the contrary, can be borne out by photographic evidence. I fail to understand Mrs Flynn's claims that a modern development of identical homes will be an asset to a village which prides itself on its conservation status and the individuality of its cottages, the majority of which are Grade II listed.

There are no amenities (e.g shops, recreation areas) for the present inhabitants, so how can a development which would increase its size by approximately 50 per cent and take up the only safe play area in the village be described as an asset by any stretch of the imagination?

Furthermore, there is no need for the type of housing described by Mrs Flynn anywhere in Rossendale, let alone our small village. Rossendale has already achieved its projected quota.

It may also be worth noting that a house to be built on the former tennis court in Irwell Vale will be for sale for £300,000 - hardly moderate cost housing! The impartial observer could be forgiven for concluding that any assets are to the benefit of Tilerock rather than for Irwell Vale!

PIA FREEDMAN, Irwell Vale, Ramsbottom.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.